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Rodan
| alias = Radon Monster Zero-Two Fire Rodan | species = Pteranodon }} is a daikaiju monster which first appeared as the title character in Toho's 1956 film Rodan. Though the character started off in its own stand-alone film, Rodan was later featured in the ''Godzilla'' franchise. IGN listed Rodan as #6 on their "Top 10 Japanese Movie Monsters" list, while Complex listed the character as #15 on its "The 15 Most Badass Kaiju Monsters of All Time" list.Josh Robertson, "The 15 Most Badass Kaiju Monsters of All Time", Complex (May 18, 2014) Overview Name The Japanese name Radon is a contraction of [[Pteranodon|Pte'ra'no'don']]. The spelling of Radon in Japanese also corresponds to the name of Ladon, the dragon-like monster in Greek Mythology. It was changed to Rodan for English-speaking markets in order to avoid confusion with the element radon. However, in Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II, the English version of the film used the original name Radon. Development As with Godzilla, writer Ken Kuronuma turned to prehistoric animals for inspiration in developing the character, though unlike the former, whose species is largely left ambiguous, Rodan is explicitly stated to be a kind of Pteranodon. Just as Godzilla was conceived as a symbol of an American nuclear threat, Rodan was seen as an embodiment of the same danger originating from the Soviet Union.Jess-Cooke, C. (2009), Film Sequels: Theory and Practice from Hollywood to Bollywood, Edinburgh University Press, p. 38 Rodan's debut appearance was the first and only time that the character was given a chestnut color. It originally had a menacing face with a jagged, toothed beak, which would disappear in later incarnations as the character became more heroic. Rodan was portrayed via a combination of suitmation and wire-operated puppets for flight sequences. During suitmation sequences, Rodan was portrayed by Haruo Nakajima, who almost drowned when the wires holding the 150 lb. suit above a water tank snapped. In Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, the Rodan suit was of visibly lesser quality than the previous one, having a more comical face, a thick neck which barely concealed the shape of the performer's head within and triangular wings. The modification of the character's face was deliberate, as Rodan was meant to be a slapstick character rather than the tragic villain seen in its film debut. A new suit was constructed for Invasion of Astro-Monster which more closely resembled the first, having more rounded wings and a sleeker face. The sleek face was retained in Destroy All Monsters, though the wings and chest area were crudely designed. Rodan was revived in 1993's Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, this time portrayed entirely via a wire-manipulated marionette and hand puppets. Having received criticism for his emphasis on battle sequences relying heavily on beam weapons, special effects artist Koichi Kawakita sought to make the confrontation between Godzilla and Rodan as physical as possible. MonsterVerse (2019–) In 2014, Legendary Pictures announced that they had acquired the rights to Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah from Toho to use in their MonsterVerse. Rodan appears in a post-credits scene of Kong: Skull Island. It is in the depicting cave paintings showing him, Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Godzilla in the footage that is shown to James Conrad and Mason Weaver. A casting call confirmed that Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah will be featured in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Viral marketing describes him as a titanic kaiju with the skeletal structure of a Pteranodon and magma-like skin serving as plate armor. The film's promotional website, Monarch Sciences, identifies the fictional island of Isla de Mara off the eastern coast of Mexico as Rodan's location and describes him as being tall with a wingspan of , making it the shortest version of the character, yet also the one with the greatest wingspan. It is also stated to be powerful enough to level cities with thunderclaps generated by its wings.https://screenrant.com/godzilla-2-monarch-site-every-secret/http://www.monarchsciences.com In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Colonel Alan Jonah uses Dr. Emma Russell to have Orca awaken Rodan. With Rodan awoken, Monarch's jets lead it into fighting King Ghidorah where it is defeated. After Godzilla is seemingly killed by Ghidorah, Rodan bows to it. During the battle in Boston, Rodan is defeated by Mothra. Following Godzilla's victory over King Ghidorah, Rodan and the other Titans bow to him. Roar The character's shriek was created by sound technician Ichiro Minawa, who sought to replicate the "contrabass technique" composer Akira Ifukube used for Godzilla. He layered it with a sped up human voice.Erik Homenick, "Biography: Part IX - Myths, Monsters and Laments", Akiraifukube.org (accessed May 30, 2016) The sound would be remixed and reused for several other Toho monsters, including the second incarnation of King Ghidorah and Battra. Appearances Films * Rodan (1956) * Valley of the Dragons (1961, stock footage cameo) * Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) * Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) * Destroy All Monsters (1968) * Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972, stock footage cameo) * Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973, stock footage cameo) * Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975, stock footage cameo) * Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993) * Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) * Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017, skeleton corpse) * Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) Television * Godzilla Island (1997–1998) Video games * Godzilla / Godzilla-Kun: Kaijuu Daikessen (Game Boy - 1990) * Circus Caper (NES - 1990) * Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters (NES - 1991) * Battle Soccer: Field no Hasha (SNES - 1992) * Kaijū-ō Godzilla / King of the Monsters, Godzilla (Game Boy - 1993) * Godzilla: Battle Legends (Turbo Duo - 1993) * Godzilla Giant Monster March (Game Gear - 1995) * Godzilla Trading Battle (PlayStation - 1998) * Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee (GCN, Xbox - 2002/2003) * Godzilla: Domination! (GBA - 2002) * Godzilla: Save the Earth (Xbox, PS2 - 2004) * Godzilla: Unleashed (Wii - 2007) * Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash (NDS - 2007) * Godzilla: Unleashed (PS2 - 2007) * Godzilla: The Game (PS3/PS4 - 2015) Literature * A version of Rodan appears in the 1986 novel It by Stephen King, in which the eponymous creature takes the form of the bird-like kaiju. * Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993) * Godzilla King of the Monsters (1994) * Godzilla vs. Gigan and the Smog Monster (1996) * Godzilla on Monster Island (1996) * Godzilla Saves America: A Monster Showdown in 3-D! (1996) * Godzilla 2000 (novel - 1997) * Godzilla at World's End (novel - 1998) * Godzilla vs. the Robot Monsters (novel - 1998) * Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island (novel - 1998) * Godzilla vs. the Space Monster (novel - 1998) * Godzilla Likes to Roar! (1998) * Who's Afraid of Godzilla? (1998) * Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters (comic - 2011-2012) * Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths (comic - 2011) * Godzilla: Legends (comic - 2011-2012) - featuring Baby Rodan * Godzilla (comic - 2012) * Godzilla: The Half-Century War (comic - 2012-2013) * Godzilla: Rulers of Earth (comic - 2013-2015) * Godzilla: Cataclysm (comic - 2014) * Godzilla in Hell (comic - 2015) * Godzilla: Oblivion (comic - 2016) * Godzilla: Rage Across Time (comic - 2016) * Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse (novel - 2017) References ;Notes * Miniatures by Stephen Dedman, Eidolon Magazine summer 1996, volume 5, issue 3 (also known as whole number issue 20). Eidolon Publications, North Perth, Australia. ISSN 1038-5657. Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1956 Category:Fictional characters who can move at superhuman speeds Category:Fictional characters with air or wind abilities Category:Fictional characters with superhuman strength Category:Fictional pterosaurs Category:Fictional monsters Category:Film sidekicks Category:Godzilla characters Category:Science fiction film characters Category:Fantasy film characters Category:Toho Monsters Category:Fictional mutants